Decent PC, low FPS

[Mekku]

I like to think I have a decent PC with hardware that should handle most games, yet still my FPS fluctuates a lot between 30-45 on medium settings. Can anyone help me identify my bottleneck?

System info:

• 
  ■ Intel Core i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz
  ■ ASUS P8H77-M PRO
  ■ 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro Red DDR3 PC2400 Memory (15.89GB usable)
  ■ GTX 970 (EVGA) Superclocked 4GB GDDR5
  ■ OS: Windows 10
  ■ Storage: OS and games all installed on SSDs

Games with low FPS:

• 
  ■ Star Wars - The Old Republic (40-50 fps, high settings)
  ■ ARK - Survival Evolved (30-45 fps on medium-low settings)
  ■ DayZ Standalone (30-45 fps on very low settings)
  ■ Skyrim - Reasonable number of visual mods + ENB (30-50 fps on medium settings)

As you can see, I'm not running a lot of crazy high-end games, except maybe ARK which I play on medium-low settings. I've been reluctant to buy more recent games until I solve my bottleneck problem, so any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[dylanestrada]

Have you overclocked your CPU at all?

Looks like you have really nice hardware, those games should be getting much better FPS.

 

[dylanestrada]

Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

 

[bedroll69]

Do you get good FPS on any other games?
Are your CPU/GPU temperatures abnormal?
As dylanestrada said, make sure you get the latest drivers
Also, perform a driver scan.

Just out of interest, what power supply are you using? It's unlikely, but it could be that causing your issues.

 

[Mekku]

Have you overclocked your CPU at all?

Looks like you have really nice hardware, those games should be getting much better FPS.

No overclocking. My motherboard can't really handle it, so everything (CPU and memory) is at stock clock speed. CPU has Turbo boost enable though.

Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

I checked before posting. All are up-to-date. Do you have a recommended method of checking for latest versions? I leave Nvidia updates to the app and check everything else through the manufacturer's website.

Do you get good FPS on any other games?
Are your CPU/GPU temperatures abnormal?
As dylanestrada said, make sure you get the latest drivers
Also, perform a driver scan.

Just out of interest, what power supply are you using? It's unlikely, but it could be that causing your issues.

Those are pretty much the games I play at the moment. Though I just bought Star Wars Battlefront, so I'll be testing that out soon.

Not sure what abnormal temperatures are. Mine typically rest at: CPU 55C - 60C and GPU 69C - 75C

For PSU, I have an OCZ ZS 750W.

 

[bedroll69]

Have you overclocked your CPU at all?

Looks like you have really nice hardware, those games should be getting much better FPS.

No overclocking. My motherboard can't really handle it, so everything (CPU and memory) is at stock clock speed. CPU has Turbo boost enable though.

Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

I checked before posting. All are up-to-date. Do you have a recommended method of checking for latest versions? I leave Nvidia updates to the app and check everything else through the manufacturer's website.

Do you get good FPS on any other games?
Are your CPU/GPU temperatures abnormal?
As dylanestrada said, make sure you get the latest drivers
Also, perform a driver scan.

Just out of interest, what power supply are you using? It's unlikely, but it could be that causing your issues.

Those are pretty much the games I play at the moment. Though I just bought Star Wars Battlefront, so I'll be testing that out soon.

Not sure what abnormal temperatures are. Mine typically rest at: CPU 55C - 60C and GPU 69C - 75C

For PSU, I have an OCZ ZS 750W.

Is it possible for you to see what load your CPU is at when plaing games, and also what are the temperatures do you get in game?

 

[Mekku]

Have you overclocked your CPU at all?

Looks like you have really nice hardware, those games should be getting much better FPS.

No overclocking. My motherboard can't really handle it, so everything (CPU and memory) is at stock clock speed. CPU has Turbo boost enable though.

Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

I checked before posting. All are up-to-date. Do you have a recommended method of checking for latest versions? I leave Nvidia updates to the app and check everything else through the manufacturer's website.

Do you get good FPS on any other games?
Are your CPU/GPU temperatures abnormal?
As dylanestrada said, make sure you get the latest drivers
Also, perform a driver scan.

Just out of interest, what power supply are you using? It's unlikely, but it could be that causing your issues.

Those are pretty much the games I play at the moment. Though I just bought Star Wars Battlefront, so I'll be testing that out soon.

Not sure what abnormal temperatures are. Mine typically rest at: CPU 55C - 60C and GPU 69C - 75C

For PSU, I have an OCZ ZS 750W.

Is it possible for you to see what load your CPU is at when plaing games, and also what are the temperatures do you get in game?

The temperatures I gave are during games. CPU 55C - 60C and GPU 69C - 75C
CPU usage fluctuates between 85% and 100% and memory normally sits around 50%.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

seems to be in order.

the best way to get drivers is to check the actual manufacturer's support pages and AMD or Nvidia's for GPU drivers.
never trust the links to driver search pages or utilities that supposedly do it some users post here.

the first thing i would try is overclocking that CPU to >4GHz. you may find that the motherboard handles it fine. though you should definitely get a good aftermarket cooler first if you haven't already.
and make sure memory is running at least recommended speeds & timings.

your temps are higher than i would ever like to see, though not dangerous. if there's space i would add some good fans to the case.

 

[profoundnoah]

I've run into this issue before. Make sure that you have windows power mode in balanced. That solved the issue for me. Keep me posted.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I've run into this issue before. Make sure that you have windows power mode in balanced. That solved the issue for me. Keep me posted.

that is very true. have had some contact me about faulty hardware and all i ended up doing is changing their Power Options from Power Saver to High Performance. can boost your fps substantially.
if this turns out to be the issue you should create your own Power Profile that suits all of your needs; CPU power states, etc.

 

[Mekku]

I checked my Power Options and it looks like I'm already on High Performance, which is good.
Also I also seemed to have forgotten to mention, I have little cooling in my case. The case had it's own large fan on the front and besides that I have a small CPU fan and a medium-sized fan on the back. Sorry I don't know the exact sizes :/

So realistically, do you think that cooling my PC better and overclocking would solve it?

Because if that's the case I may need a new motherboard. Like I said before, my motherboard can't handle overclocking. Simply pushing the CPU from 3.9GHz (on turbo) to 4.0GHz gives me a PC that won't boot.

Edit: Also, I just checked and it appears my RAM already runs at 1333MHz instead of 2400MHz. Overclocking that gave me the same result. PC won't boot and had to reset oc changes.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if the temperatures are throttling your card, than yes. more/better cooling would stop that from happening.

overclocking wouldn't be setting your memory at it's default specs. check your motherboard's spec to see what memory it supports. i've had quite a few 1600 specified boards that had no problem running 2400+. if it claims 1333 than it is possibly just too cheap for those higher speeds.
when overclocking your CPU did you also turn up the voltage? if there's not enough power it will be a problem.

if it was me, i would probably change to a nice Z77 board and set everything up nice and fast with some good cooling all around.

 

[Mekku]

if the temperatures are throttling your card, than yes. more/better cooling would stop that from happening.

overclocking wouldn't be setting your memory at it's default specs. check your motherboard's spec to see what memory it supports. i've had quite a few 1600 specified boards that had no problem running 2400+. if it claims 1333 than it is possibly just too cheap for those higher speeds.
when overclocking your CPU did you also turn up the voltage? if there's not enough power it will be a problem.

if it was me, i would probably change to a nice Z77 board and set everything up nice and fast with some good cooling all around.

So I'm checking and it would seem that my board should support up to 2200 DDR3. Reference: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8H77M_PRO/specifications/

Though I could never get anything to work, I'm sensing that I may not have been overclocking my system correctly. If you have a good guide on the how's and why's I'd appreciate it. I'll couple that with some added cooling to see if keeping my temps low helps me get better fps and post back here with my findings. Thanks!

 

[dylanestrada]

I want to say it's your motherboard that is throttling the performance of your other components, perhaps you should check out an ATX board or upgrade to a newer gen CPU + mobo (if it's cheaper).

 

[profoundnoah]

At this point it just might be insufficient board capabilities. Buying a new 77 Chipset board from a quality company would cost ~240 at best, given the rarity of those boards. You might as well upgrade your processor if you're dishing out that kind of money.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

At this point it just might be insufficient board capabilities. Buying a new 77 Chipset board from a quality company would cost ~240 at best, given the rarity of those boards. You might as well upgrade your processor if you're dishing out that kind of money.

i would agree that if budget allows you should start towards a new build, maybe Z170 or something new.

but, there are cheaper versions of 1155 boards available:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Desktop-Motherboard-LGA1155-DDR3/dp/B007ZYI5M4/ref=sr_1_63?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1454942431&sr=1-63&refinements=p_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2057458011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A6323340011%2Cp_n_feature_seven_browse-bin%3A5657494011
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007XRVG92/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

 

[profoundnoah]

Both of those are from intel, and while they might be sufficient for the task, it really doesn't make sense to spend money on already aged hardware.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Both of those are from intel

...and?

...while they might be sufficient for the task, it really doesn't make sense to spend money on already aged hardware.

while some of us have the money and the care to run newer/better components, spending ~$120 to improve current system may be a better choice for others than to spend ~$500 for new board, ram, & cpu.

 

[profoundnoah]

I'm not sure how vested you are in motherboards, but usually the recommended boards for overclocking are from asus, gigabyte, EVGA, ASRock, and MSI. Not to mention, most z77 boards on the market are used, meaning that you lose warranty and often lack the ability to return the product if you run into a roadblock. If I were to buy a new board, I would want solid overclocking capabilities from a brand that I've had previous experience with. While it might seem better in the short term, spending ~150-200 on a board with an aging socket is pretty questionable. My recommendation would be to wait for AMD zen this year, and then use that money in combination with other money accumulated by then to upgrade your RAM, CPU, and board for AMD Zen. @John That's also like saying you could spend $1500 for a car part that you're not even sure would fix the issue, or you could buy a new car for $5000.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I'm not sure how vested you are in motherboards, but usually the recommended boards for overclocking are from asus, gigabyte, EVGA, ASRock, and MSI. Not to mention, most z77 boards on the market are used, meaning that you lose warranty and often lack the ability to return the product if you run into a roadblock. If I were to buy a new board, I would want solid overclocking capabilities from a brand that I've had previous experience with. While it might seem better in the short term, spending ~150-200 on a board with an aging socket is pretty questionable.

back to earlier statements, "77 Chipset board from a quality company would cost ~240 at best". and a good percentage of those are used.
why I linked decent new boards half of that price. many on these forums seem to forget that some don't have access to much money and they sometimes have to deal with cheaper and older components than others of us.
back again to earlier statements, "while some of us have the money and the care to run newer/better components, spending ~$120 to improve current system may be a better choice for others".

My recommendation would be to wait for AMD zen this year, and then use that money in combination with other money accumulated by then to upgrade your RAM, CPU, and board for AMD Zen.

do you even have price estimates for next gen AMD boards and CPUs? if not, then I would say it's a bad idea to just hope it'll be a better deal than buying new, possibly better, Intel hardware now or even upgrading current older gen hardware.
that's if either is even an option for the OP. exactly why I linked new Z77 boards that will fit the current build. because there's a chance the platform upgrade isn't an option and/or maybe they don't care to save & wait.
i have worked with Z68 & Z77 Intel manufactured boards and know for a fact that those overclocked fine with good cooling.

but, this has never been about any absolute path the OP should take as you seem to insinuate.

i have already recommended an alternative and do again:
if into PC gaming; upgrade to either Z97 or Z170 and start now whether it's just piece by piece or saving for the whole bundle.

 

[Mekku]

If I were to buy a new board, I would want solid overclocking capabilities from a brand that I've had previous experience with ... While it might seem better in the short term, spending ~150-200 on a board with an aging socket is pretty questionable.

Yes, I'd prefer having something that will allow me to scale for at least a couple of years. For that reason I tend to stay away for hardware that's a bit aged. I'm not rich, I wish, but I'd rather spend some extra $$ and consider my purchase an upgrade. In fact I started this thread looking for a fix + upgrade solution. As long as I'm going to fork out money, might as well make it so I wouldn't have to replace again any time soon. Not like I have anyone to spend my money on Q__Q

if into PC gaming; upgrade to either Z97 or Z170

I, unfortunately, don't know much about motherboards, which is why I'm currently in this mess. What is the difference between the two? And does changing the motherboard also require me to change my CPU (1150 socket) and RAM (DDR3)?

 

[profoundnoah]

If you had the choice, would you like to save money and buy some very slightly aged hardware (1-2 years), or just go with the latest platform but spend an extra $100-150? Ill get a shopping list set up.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if into PC gaming; upgrade to either Z97 or Z170

I, unfortunately, don't know much about motherboards, which is why I'm currently in this mess. What is the difference between the two? And does changing the motherboard also require me to change my CPU (1150 socket) and RAM (DDR3)?

Z97 runs LGA 1150 chipset. has some very nice 4 core Haswell CPUs and runs DDR3.
Z170 runs 1151 chipset, next step up from Z97/1150. has some nice 6 core Skylake CPUs and runs DDR4 memory. also has more PCIe lanes and other upgrades to the chipset.

either way you would need new CPU. if going Z170 you would also need to upgrade to DDR4 memory.

 

[Mekku]

If you had the choice, would you like to save money and buy some very slightly aged hardware (1-2 years), or just go with the latest platform but spend an extra $100-150? Ill get a shopping list set up.

I'd say more recent, not necessarily the latest. Mostly depends on the price. At this point I'd say my budget is around €600 ($650, £460) Either that or I wait and build a new PC piece by piece.

Z97 runs LGA 1150 chipset. has some very nice 4 core Haswell CPUs and runs DDR3.
Z170 runs 1151 chipset, next step up from Z97/1150. has some nice 6 core Skylake CPUs and runs DDR4 memory. also has more PCIe lanes and other upgrades to the chipset.

either way you would need new CPU. if going Z170 you would also need to upgrade to DDR4 memory.

I see. Is there any noticeable benefit for having DDR4 in terms of FPS? I bought my DDR3 memory just recently (about 4 months ago) so unless upgrading memory will boost my performance I'd be hesitant to go for it.